From Reuters Health:
Detrimental blood flow and breathing changes are common in obese patients undergoing laparoscopic, or “keyhole,” gastric bypass surgery. Therefore, invasive monitoring with a blood vessel catheter may be warranted to assure a safe operation, new research suggests.
From the Union Leader:
There’s a point about gastric bypass surgery that doctors want insurance companies to know: It is not a cosmetic procedure; it is a lifesaving one.
Yet many health insurance providers no longer cover the surgery because, as one company spokesman put it, it is not cost effective.
Cigna dropped bariatric surgery more than a year ago. In January, Blue Cross/Blue Shield announced they wouldn’t pay for any renewing members who want the procedure.
According to information provided by PRH, 44 states allow gastric bypass surgery through Medicaid. Georgia, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia mandate insurance companies cover the cost.
From the Wikipedia:
Liposuction is a popular operation in plastic surgery which removes fat from certain places of the human body (typically abdomen, thighs, buttocks) by liquefying it and removing it through a hollow needle. In some cases, more extreme measures, such as abdominoplasty, may be needed.
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